Ghosts Speak
by Inbetweentheraindrops
Summary: Artemis can see the dead and it changes things. AU TRAUGHT


**Timeline? I apparently don't do Timelines. It's obviously not my thing.**

 ***Mediumship=the ability to communicate with the dead.**

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Artemis could remember the exact moment when her eyes opened to this world she was now stuck in.

She was five. Five and had witnessed her mother falling from the roof. Five years old and watching from the window in the next building over as police cars and the ambulance took the crumpled woman away.

She had closed her eyes and turned away from her bedroom window, tears stung her eyes. Well, it felt like tears were prickling in the corners of her eyes right before a burning sensation made her press the palms of her hands into her eyes. She remembers the pain very acutely, can even remember Jade crawling into her bed next to her to hold her shoulders and asking her what was wrong. Then the pain was gone, only lasted two minutes, but caused her so many problems. When she opened her eyes, she could see Jade's worried face and wasn't that a shock to her system, Jade was never worried, but what caused her heart to nearly leap out of her throat was Zasi, the cat that she watched her father break his neck in front of her was curled up on her pillow. She knew Zasi was dead, had held his limp lifeless body in her small hands about three weeks ago. Artemis curled into her sister's side that night and didn't mention the cat that stared at her with his head tilted slightly and tail twitching lazily behind his body.

The next day when Jade was walking her to school, her hands held tightly to the straps of her backpack. She looked up at the red light they were waiting at to cross the road and saw a lady wandering in the streets. Artemis nearly screamed when a car rammed her, but instead of watching her body being thrown from the hit the car went through her. The lady had raised her tear filled eyes to meet Artemis' as another car traveled through her slightly wavering form. Artemis jolted when Jade began to tug her across the street. She quickly looked back at the lady, but she was gone. Artemis saw her again the next day, and the day after that. Learned that the ladies name was Olivia, she was twenty-three, a very nice lady with two baby girls, Ava and Emma. She told Artemis during late nights that Artemis snuck out of her apartment to talk to her, that Olivia didn't know who their father was, she had left the girls with their grandmother who would babysit for her while she went to work. Olivia was killed by a drunk driver one night and couldn't leave the street that her heart had stopped at.

Artemis found a bone fragment later that year caught in the crevice of the street lamp that Olivia's car rammed after the other man hit her passenger side dead on. She told Olivia and later burned the fragment. She hadn't seen Olivia since then.

Artemis has a hard time distinguishing the dead from living breathing people or animals. Zasi shares her bed with her every night and she doesn't find it weird. She had loved Zasi and knew that was the reason her father killed the cat. Artemis didn't tell anyone about the ghosts, she didn't know how they would react to that. She was scared to end up in the same place that the man the reporter on her TV called 'Joker' broke out of at least every other month or so. She kept this bottled up and would go to great lengths to control this power, it took lots of years of observing others and not speaking to anyone she didn't know she was finally able to find a few differences. The dead would wavier at some points, at the end of their hair or the tips of their fingers, and the dead weren't tangible. The dead would phase through solid objects and a cold would hang around them like an invisible cloud. If Artemis got the chills around some one she made sure not to look at them.

When Jade left Artemis couldn't breathe. She had been getting ready to tell Jade about the cat that had been rubbing circles around her ankles watching Jade pack her bags, in the end, she watched Jade leave with out ever mentioning anything about Zasi, or Olivia, or the man who sat under the stairwell, or the baby that cried in the middle of the ally, or the child that sat shivering outside of the little coffee shop about a block away from them.

Artemis didn't say anything as her father upped her training, didn't utter a word while her heart would ache as she walked to school by herself every day, the man would stare at his hands, the baby would cry, and the child would pull it's ratty coat tighter around his body. She didn't make friends at school, it was hard when shootings were common on campus, too many kids died on school grounds. Their ghosts roamed the hallways and went to classes as if they never died and Artemis couldn't speak to anyone, too afraid that the kid she was talking to only she could see. She wasn't stupid, only she saw these people, and she knew it wasn't normal.

Then Paula got out of jail and sent father packing. For once Artemis finally felt like her life was just beginning to turn around. Zasi still slept in her bed, the man under the stairs (Terence) still sat on his overturned bucket, the baby still wailed from the alley, but Bryce no longer shivered by the coffee shop. Paula was what Artemis was missing for so long, she took the time to teach her that her father wasn't a good man (she had learned that lesson when he killed Zasi). Paula did her best with making sure that Artemis wasn't going to follow her father's footsteps, and Artemis loved her more for it.

On her fifteenth birthday, she told her mother about Zasi, Terence, the baby, and of Bryce and Olivia. Paula listened and then held her hand tightly and told her that she believed her. Later that day Artemis met Ava and Emma, they both looked so much like Olivia it made her tear up and the two ten-year-olds had no clue. Artemis cried into Paula's lap that night and when she finally went to bed she could feel Zasi curl up underneath her chin.

Then another shooter tried to eliminate her school again. He chose her classroom. That day she used what her father had taught her and kicked the gun out of his hands. Another kick to his groin had him leaning down with a gasp, she grabbed the back of his head and slammed her knee into his face, she felt his nose break and dropped him to the ground. No one died that day.

She loved that feeling when she looked back over her shoulder at her classmates who were all still alive because she didn't let him get a single shot off. They had looked at her with wide eyes and the teacher had quickly tied the shooter up with bandages from the first aid kit, the shooter was just a teen, barely older than herself.

That feeling of finally being able to do something worth while had her making a suit with a mask, she upgraded her arrows the best she could with what little money she had, she studiously ignored the flirtatious eighteen-year-old that showed up on the fire escape of her building about a week ago who kept telling her he had a stash of money that had her name on it. Two days after she made her final arrow she climbed to her roof top and put all the training that her father put her through to use.

That night she stopped two bank robberies, a petty purse snatcher, and a potential rape. The next night she stopped a mugging, another potential rape, and an arms deal. She kept a tally in a notebook stuffed under her mattress, then a few days suddenly became weeks and then a month passes and she finds herself in the perfect position to save Kid Flashes life. She doesn't take the time to question why he is in her city, or why a kid that looked so much like Superman was fighting with him and Robin in the gym of a prestigious high school. She barely takes the time to aim before letting go of her only metal tipped arrow and watches as the machine systematically taken down and Kid Flash is safe. She runs after the Robot's head explodes.

She makes it home in time for a confrontation with the Green Arrow and Batman. She nearly cries when she saw them standing in her living room with her mother. She expects them to tell her to stop, to quit pretending to be something that she's not. She expects them to demand her bow and arrows, but she doesn't know if she could willingly give them the only thing that has finally made her feel like she could be something so much more than right then. They both disappoint and excite her instead, they invite her to work under Green Arrow and to work with the team that she had helped save back at the school. She listens to them and wants to say yes to it all, but she can see Zasi waiting for her near her bedroom door, she can remember Terence and his stories about the people he watches all day, can hear that baby wailing in the ally she still doesn't go down, can see the flirty teen leaning against the side of the building winking at her, and can still see the vacant expressions on all the dead students that are stuck in that building. She agrees to work under Green Arrow but tells them that she doesn't think that the team would be a good idea. They don't push it, instead, Green Arrow smiles at her and gives her a schedule that would have her using a 'Zeta tube' to get her to Starling City for patrols. They had to explain what a Zeta tube was, and then took her to the nearest one to program her into it.

She works with Green Arrow well, a week passes and he finally tells her his actual name. Oliver Queen and she blurted out that she can see dead people. It surprises her how easily he takes this news and rolls with it. She thinks that this that they have between them might be the closest she has to a Dad.

A month later she calls him Dad and he hugs her close to his body and just holds her for a few minutes. She meets Red Arrow that same day, he isn't very nice and she doesn't like him. When he leaves she holds Green Arrow in return and tells him that she'll be over directly from school the next day. He kisses the top of her head and sends her home.

Then Bruce Wayne extends her a scholarship to Gotham Academy and she can't say no. She wants to, but the look on her mother's face silences any protests before they can leave her lips. She accepts and on her first day a small black haired freshman takes a selfie with her, he says that they will laugh about this later, and for some reason, she believes him. She accepts Bettes explanation of a weird Freshie and moves on with the tour, but she knows who that kid is. She doesn't say it out loud but she has seen both sides of him too many times on her TV to not know who he is.

A week into school Paula collapses while she was at class and she calls Oliver before the ambulance because she knows that Paula won't make it. She doesn't know how she knows, all she knows is that her mother is dying and leaving her faster than she had thought would happen and she needs her dad. The ambulance gets there in time to hook Paula up to life support but Paula has lost all brain activity. It was a stroke, they don't know what caused it, all tests say she should have been healthy but sometimes it happens. Oliver is there holding her hand tightly as they tell her this, he is sitting in the seat next to her with a frown on his face. Then they tell her that as her only relative that isn't a fugitive of the law that she gets to choose to pull the plug or not. The doctors leave her to think and Oliver wraps his arm around her shoulders and she cries into his chest. They both know that Paula would rather leave then have them watch her body deteriorate while machines are the only thing keeping her alive. They pull the plug after Artemis kisses her mothers cheek goodbye.

When Paula's heart stopped beating Artemis closed her eyes and felt a kiss on her forehead and heard 'I love you' whispered in her ear. Artemis knows that Paula's ghost doesn't stay behind, knows that Paula isn't trapped like Terence under the stairs, the baby in the alley, or like Ian on her fire escape. She opens her eyes and doesn't see her ghost. She turns to Oliver with a quivering smile and tells him that she's gone. He holds her in his arms for an hour afterward, that how long it takes her to stop crying. He kisses the top of her head and asks her if he could adopt her. She says yes.

It takes a week to pack up her apartment, during that time she goes down that ally and soothes the baby's cry, she hugs Terence and tells him goodbye, she follows Ian's instructions to get to a bag full of money that she takes to Oliver. She takes a walk that night dressed in her suit and sees that Terence has moved on, Ian isn't on the fire escape, and the baby isn't crying anymore. Her heart feels light as she says goodbye to Bette, Barbara, and Richard (Even if he would rather be called Dick) her only friends she has ever had. They exchange numbers but she knows that it isn't the same.

She gets used to the new school faster than she did at the Academy, she gets used to coming home to her Dad instead of her Mom, she enjoys the movies that have both herself and Oliver on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. She's there for two weeks before she meets Dinah. Artemis likes Dinah, likes how Oliver and Dinah are together and just like that she has some how gotten a hold of Red Arrow and convinced him to help her get the two together.

Zasi followed her to Oliver's place, she's not sure she could sleep with out the black cat. She's not sure if she wants to find out. She tells Oliver about Zasi about three weeks into her stay with him. He smiles at her and tells her that he thinks the cat is tied to her, he quickly guesses that she takes it the wrong way, he grabs her shoulders and says that he meant the cat loved her. Artemis lets him fold her into his arms and later that night she tells Zasi she loves him too.

She tells Dinah about the Ghosts on a mission where everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong and nearly cost them all their lives had it not been for a man with a chilling smile. Dinah takes about two deep breaths after the news and rolls with it. Dinah has a very special place in Artemis's heart right next to Oliver and Paula.

The next day Red Arrow returns to Starling City. It hurts Oliver and Dinah both to know he is so close but still so far away. Artemis is the one that convinces him to come back, she the one that gets Red Arrow to speak to Oliver and when Oliver got home he held her close and cried happy tears into her shoulder. Red Arrow joins the two of them on missions and patrol, but he still does his own thing on the side. It was progress.

It's been four months since she started patrolling at night, three months since she started to work with Oliver, two since her mother passed, once since she told Dinah her secret and two weeks since she found out that Red Arrow is Roy Harper when they bring up her joining the team again. It's the Flash, who is visiting from Central City, who thinks that she should join the team. He mentions that Red Arrow should join as well, but he scoffs and stalks off in a temper. Artemis frowns but says she'll think about it.

She tells Roy about the Ghosts when she finds him later that night when Green Arrow decides to let her patrol on her own. He doesn't believe her at first, and it hurts but she doesn't push it. Two days later he comes to her and he tells her he trusts her, she introduces him to Zasi and they watch a movie together as Oliver and Dinah go on a League mission.

Roy joins the team with her. He's standing on her right side and Oliver is on her left as they wait for the team to get back from their respective schools. Oliver has his arm slung over her shoulders when they start filing through, she doesn't like the announcement of each team member with a letter and two numbers but keeps the frown from her face. Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad all react positively towards Red Arrow. Miss Martian and Superboy are both frowning at him, Artemis thinks they don't particularly like his attitude on most days. Kid Flash reacts negatively at her presence, she doesn't take it personally. Really she doesn't, she doesn't even speak to him. She doesn't have to, Roy is pushing him away from her with a growl and she nearly laughs at the surprise that colors his face.

"Who are you anyway?" Kid Flash spits as he backs away.

"Artemis." She doesn't speak very often, the only ones she had spoken to that didn't involve answering a question in class she could count on her hands and they were the living. The dead speak to her on a regular basis, she only talks back to them when she is alone.

Kid Flash obviously doesn't like her, but she is okay with that because Roy does, Robin does, Kaldur does, Megan does, and she suspects that Conner likes her as well. The first mission she goes on with them they run into Chesire and Artemis brings her down with a few blows with her fists, she doesn't know that Chesire is Jade until after they bring her in. Kid Flash uses this as leverage for them not to trust her, but Roy still trusts her, Robin doesn't care, and Kaldur reasons that she brought in Chesire and that Green Arrow trusts her. Megan and Conner don't know what to think.

Before Jade gets locked away for a few years, thankfully she had never committed murder just thievery so her sentence wasn't all that bad, Artemis tells her that their mother died from a stroke. Jade doesn't say anything for a bit before asking if Paula's ghost stuck around and Artemis is struck dumb in that moment. Artemis shakes her head and tells her that no, Paula isn't still sticking around, Jade smiles. Artemis asks her to stick out the sentence and come home when she gets out. Jade doesn't say anything.

A month later she meets Zatanna. Artemis likes the girl and likes the girl's father, they both are really nice. Then all the adults get separated from the kids and Artemis can't breathe, she cries out for both Roy and Oliver. It's hard but she takes the fact that she can't see their ghosts as comfort. She helps the team rescue the toddlers from around Happy Harbor, she sits with them in a circle around her, she doesn't trust her senses to go kid gathering and instead sings to them softly and keeps them entertained. Robin grabs her for the fight that should bring the adults back. She nearly runs there on foot but knows that the Bioship would take her faster. They fought and it was mostly one sided with Klarion winning, even with Shazam switching back and forth between the worlds (because they were two different worlds) they didn't seem to be getting the upper hand anytime soon. Then Zatanna goes to put on the helmet of Fate and Artemis can only think, no, no, no! Then in her lapse of attention Klarion hits her with a blast.

She wakes up in the med-bay with Roy holding her right hand and Oliver holding her left. She cries and hugs them both tightly, she whispers that if they ever disappear on her again, she would hunt them down and gut them herself.

Then Red Arrow is being inducted into the Justice League, Rocket joins the team, and Sportsmaster has been spotted. Artemis almost dies on that mission, she only survives because Robin knocked the both them away from the avalanche. She doesn't bring it up though because when they landed Robin's lips had found hers and his hand was on her chest. It was an accident but still not something that she knows Roy and Oliver would kill him over. Though when she finds out that Roy was a mole, a clone, and that last mission was planned by the baddies she feels like some one shoved a fist into her stomach. She knows that Roy wouldn't have done this on his own, he was too good for that. She ran through the Zeta's right after Batman left and before Red Tornado can do anything.

She finds him at his apartment with an arrow aimed at her chest. She asks him if Batman was lying, begs him to tell her that it isn't true. He sighs and pulls her into his arms but doesn't tell her that Batman was wrong. Kaldur and Megan make it to the apartment shortly after. Roy tells them everything. Artemis clenches her fists tightly and knows she is being selfish but hopes that she won't have to fight Oliver.

In the end, she sticks with Wally and they bring down Oliver and Barry together. It hurts fighting Oliver, he gets in good hits, her torso is probably black and blue with bruises and she's favoring her right leg but they did it. Oliver and Barry are free. Wally helps her into the room where all the others are meeting up. She moves away from Wally to Zatanna's side. They did it. Artemis nearly sags with relief that the Justice League is no longer being controlled and misses the announcement of the new year but catches Robin when he suddenly turned to her. His lips meet hers on purpose this time and she kisses him back.

Later when Robin, Roy, Batman, and others debriefed Artemis grabbed Oliver and Dinah in strong hugs.

Roy has chosen to look for his original, Artemis, Oliver, and Dinah all declare that they will help him. It takes Artemis slapping him and Oliver grabbing his quiver to get him to agree. Roy still goes out on his own way too often but he always comes back.

Robin asks Oliver if he can date Artemis. Oliver tells him no but then sighs and says that Artemis will make up her own mind about all of this, then he laments that it's too sudden. Artemis tells Robin about the ghosts before she agrees to date him. He smiled and kissed her, she's pretty sure that it won't ever matter. Robin then tells her his real name and she smiles, 'I already knew' is whispered before she kisses him again.

Years go by, people change, situations change, but there are a few things that remain constant in Artemis' life, Oliver is still her father, Roy is still her exasperating older brother, and Nightwing (Or Richard, she still refuses to call him Dick) loves her and she loves him. Jade gets out of jail and settles in with Artemis and Oliver. Dinah finally agrees to marry Oliver, and Roy ends up eloping with Jade. Artemis doesn't quite understand that relationship, she also doesn't think she wants to. Oliver and Dinah are married two months after Jade and Roy.

Artemis is twenty-three and can still see the dead but she isn't scared anymore. The team knows, her sister knows, the Justice League knows, and most importantly they don't care that she can see something that others do not. Artemis is twenty-three wearing white and walking down the aisle towards Richard on Oliver's arm and the happiest she has ever felt.

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 **I finished this in one night. Over 4000 words in about six hours, I am feeling like a boss right now.**

 **I think if I get any inspiration for this 'Universe' I'll add on it, but for now I'm closing it and considering it complete.**


End file.
